A crazy version of the Truth
by onelildustbunni
Summary: "I had my reasons." Laura's explanation to a two-year absence falls somewhat short of describing just what she's been doing. AU. Hellion and X-23.
1. Chapter 1

**TITLE: ** A crazy version of the truth  
><strong>STARRING: <strong>Hellion/ Helix X-23  
><strong>UNIVERSE: <strong>AU, some 616 elements  
><strong>RATING: <strong>M  
><strong>SUMMARY:<strong> "I had my reasons." Laura's explanation to a two-year absence falls somewhat short of describing just what she's been doing. Hellion and X-23.

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><p><strong>-1-<strong>

* * *

><p>Laura re-shoulders her bag, and looks up at the enormous school in hesitation. It's been almost a year, and she doesn't know how he'll react to her reappearance.<p>

It has, after all, been over two years…and she hasn't called. At all.

He's going to be really pissed off.

_Really _pissed off.

After a few moments she gives a small nod to herself and heads in, through the heavy oak doors of the main entrance. Inside, the school is different than she remembers—but just as classy. She sees a corridor to her far left and right, an enormous wooden staircase straight ahead—one section going up, and one leading downward—and beside this a small desk with a sign declaring "_Welcome to JGSHL_". Manning the kiosk is a floating green _blob, _with a smiling, dopey-looking face.

She heads toward the latter, returning the creature's smile. "Excuse me—can you tell me where I could find—"

"Thasiqpowekks," the creature says, in a tone that sounds like a greeting. "wertjaslkxs! . Weojlcmgkrpkoesdlk."

Laura blinks.

"That's great, but I'm looking for someone. Can you help me find him?"

"Wuhretwejwoe?" the creature asks.

She shifts. "Uh…what?"

"Wuhretwejwoe!" it repeats.

"…" Laura rubs her neck. _Awkward. _"Not getting you, buddy."

"_**WUHRETWEJWOE!" **_the creature snaps.

"Why the hell are you working front desk if you don't speak English?" she demands, losing her patience. "Come _on, _get me someone who _can_ talk to me then, at least."

"Will I do, kid?"

Laura spins around at the voice, and blinks. Someone she hasn't seen in a while.

"Logan," she says, her tone a little cool.

The two examine each other critically.

"You looking for a place to stow your duffle bag?" Logan asks. "Or just here to check us out? Better yet—thinking bout finishing school?"

Laura half-smiles. "You _know_ why I'm here."

"I can always hope." The man looks tired suddenly, and his tone is harsh. "Just don't destroy any wings, okay? We're over-budget as is…an' a word of warning …he ain't been waiting for you."

She looks startled, so startled she doesn't speak. Her face blanches slightly.

"Can't blame him, Laura." Logan speaks a bit more softly now. "Two years is a long time. You're just lucky _I_ didn't have a replacement for you."

Laura would normally have a snappy comeback, but right now she's a bit too shaken. She closes her eyes. "It's fine. Where is he?"

"You don't want to get settled in first?" her adopted father asks.

She shakes her head. "Best grab the bull by the horns, you know? I'll probably come find you later, though…you and your liquor cabinet."

"Nah-uh, kid." Logan gives her a disapproving look. "You think my school would be that shabby? First thing I did was install a proper, full-on _bar._"

"I should have come earlier," she says, with a weak grin.

Logan reaches over and pats her shoulder. "Just passed him a few minutes ago. Think he's finishing up with a class on the sub-level…practice rooms. Can't recall which one."

"Thanks." Laura turns, and heads toward the stairs.

"Good luck!" he calls after her, like she _needs _it.

She does.

**…**

A few minutes later, Laura is lingering in the corridor outside practice room 310, watching through the viewing window. Blue flashes, red flashes, purple flashes…and green flashes. She studies him, unobserved—meaning she'll have the upper hand. She'll know what to expect, more or less.

Speaking of hands, he's acquired a pair. Rather, a pair of metal prosthetics, really good ones. They seem to meld to the ends of his arms, as if an extension of his flesh, and work as if they were real. She closes her eyes, and for a moment she is back in the room—the white, sterile room—staring at him as he lies unconscious in a stretcher, his arms ending abruptly in a thick swath of bandages.

And in that moment, she knows she can't stay.

Laura's eyes snap open, and she hears—without listening—as he corrects his student, tells the girl what she's doing wrong.

She wonders at that. Him being able to point out what others are doing wrong. Has he grown that much? Was she wrong in thinking him unprepared?

As if feeling her judgmental stare, he suddenly turns his head and catches her eye. Surprisingly, he doesn't look surprised. He raises one eyebrow, and then turns back to the class he is teaching, like she's just a shadow.

Laura thinks of what Logan had said. She doesn't doubt he's with someone else—but is he really, completely over her? A crumbling thought hits her—is he _happy_ now?

She inhales through her nose. This really puts a hitch in what had at first seemed to be a simple plan. Yes, he would be angry. Yes, he would be amazed and hurt. But in the end, he would forgive her, because he'd understand why she'd done what she'd done. And maybe, even, he'd come to thank her. She'd carried a kind of mental image in her head for years, like a wallet photo, a memory of him in happier times. And had tried to put that together with the other picture she carried—and still carries—her life, now.

It had helped make up for the absence of real photos.

She moves out to the hallway and slides to the ground against the wall, to wait.

**…**

Fifteen minutes later, she raises her head. The door has been opening and closing for a while now, as students exit, but he had not emerged, presumably staying behind to clean up. She wonders if he's trying to avoid her, but discards the idea. His look had been so cool and collected that she doubts he would even put in the effort to avoid her.

But now, the door has opened, and he's moving toward her, his expression as unbothered as in the classroom.

"Look what the cat dragged in."

Laura doesn't want to let him look down on her, so she gets to her feet. "Julian," she says, with a slight nod.

He folds his arms. _Going to make _you _do the talking, _his eyes say. She refuses to let this bother her. She has a duty—a responsibility—a mission to carry out. She can't fail.

"I know we didn't part on the best of terms—" she begins.

"We didn't part on _any_ terms," he corrects.

Laura sighs. "Look, I had my reasons."

"Whatever." He pauses. "I don't know why I even acknowledged you. You're such a waste of my time."

"That's not true." She tries to sound confident.

"Please." He smirks. "You're only making a fool of yourself. I'm not interested in you anymore."

The words are painful, but it's more of a dull ache than a fresh stab. Laura has always known he would try to hurt her if she returned, and so she is prepared, mentally psyched for his attempts. The thing that bothers her is the neutral way he's speaking. Maybe he really _is_ over her, over it all.

"I didn't—Julian, you know I wouldn't just expect you to fall right in line," she says. "But I hoped that maybe we could—I don't know. Maybe be friends again, at some point."

"Sorry. I might have awful taste in women, but my taste in friends is…put it this way. You don't meet the standards."

"I didn't say right away." Laura arches her eyebrows. "I know we have a lot to catch up on—"

"Well, I'm saying _never._" Julian unfolds his arms. "You're not a part of my life anymore. You could die, and I wouldn't care. I wouldn't _notice. _I have my own situation now…I've learned to live with events that you weren't here for."

"I know." She pauses. "What've you been up to?"

He blinks, conflicted with his desire to shun her and his enjoyment of speaking about his own accomplishments, just as Laura had known he would be. It's a good shot, and they both know it. For a moment, Julian looks annoyed, and she thinks he won't bite.

"Teaching," he says finally. "And getting way more powerful."

"I can see that," she says. "I always thought you were going to be the next big thing."

His eyes narrow, and she knows it's coming. "Seeing someone, too._"_

"So I hear." Laura refuses the give him the reaction he's looking for.

"Speaking of which…I've got to go." He grins at her, without any warmth. "She has something planned for tonight. I think she might be cooking, and she's got some serious _skills..._" he trails off, implying that he's not just talking about food preparation.

Laura raises her eyebrows. She shouldn't. Oh, but it's tempting.

"I've gotten pretty good at cooking myself, lately," she says.

He raises his eyebrows, and she can see she's surprised him a little. "You're seeing someone?"

"Every day," she replies. "It's pretty serious, I'd say. A lifetime commitment."

Julian looks uncertain, for the first time during this encounter. His eyes flicker down to her hands—to check for a ring.

"Any day now, I'd imagine." She pauses. "Guess he really likes my cooking." This isn't really stretching the truth. Oh, the truth. _If only he knew. _

"Well…" he clears his throat. "Good for you, I guess. But I really don't know why we're talking…I don't want to see you again, and I'm not interested in what you're doing."

"Noted." Laura nods slightly.

"Do me a favor and don't talk to me again," he says. "I won't acknowledge you anyway…but it'll spare the both of us an awkward situation."

"Whatever you say."

She watches him head down the hallway, and purses her lips.

**…**

"How'd it go?" Logan grunts, after letting his clone into his apartment quarters.

She hangs her head. "It didn't."

The older man sighs, runs a hand through his hair. "Like I said, I think he's happy now. With his new squeeze."

"How long have they been seeing each other?" she asks.

"Little less than a year now."

Laura blinks. "Are you serious?" she asks.

"Yep." Her adopted father moves behind the bar. "Pick your poison, sweetheart."

"Just a beer," Laura says.

He raises his eyebrows. "Not stayin'?"

"No."

"Kid—you can't let everything hinge on Keller like that. He's not good for you, an' you know it. You could stay here an' finish your school…or hell, if you wanna teach—"

"Logan." Laura raises her head. "I have someone else, too."

Her adopted father raises his eyebrows. "Oh _really?_ This's gonna be good."

She says nothing.

"Well, let's hear all about this new guy," he says, in a resigned manner.

So Laura tells him.


	2. Chapter 2

**__**ANNOUNCEMENT: **_Two new stories-_Like a Boss: Tainted Love_ and _We're in This Together Now,_along with the update wave! Enjoy! :o)_**

_**A/N:**_ Thanks for reviews! Keep on reading for your answers! :oD

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><p><strong>-2-<strong>

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><p>Laura sits in the new cafeteria, studying the layout. She mentally contrasts it with the one she and the kids had eaten in so many years ago, when the school had been run under the name of Xavier's. The floors are hardwood instead of tile, and the tables and chairs are cheaper, as Logan doesn't have access to the same sort of funds that Xavier did.<p>

She's not here for the layout, though. Laura is eavesdropping on the couple sitting at the table in the far corner, and is using all of her senses to gauge how infatuated they are with each other.

"You wouldn't believe what Idie did in my class the other day," the woman says. Her words are softly accentuated, with what Laura decides is Italian. _Crap,_ she thinks. She knows he has a thing for accents.

"Do I want to know?" Julian asks, sounding amused.

A pause, and the woman smiles. "Probably not, but I'm going to tell you anyway." She's about Laura's age, and has medium length, wavy chestnut hair. Her skin is olive in color, and she has a roman nose along with very full but flattering features.

"That Sanders boy was making trouble again," she says. "Idie—shy, quiet Idie—suddenly snapped…and I swear to god, she froze his _dick._"

"Jesus," he replies, then grins. "Can't say he didn't have it coming."

"Logan was so upset! I had to…"

Laura focuses on their heartbeats. Julian's is relaxed, regular, as is the other woman's. Every now and again, though—when she smiles—his heart squeezes out a few extra pulses. As if there are genuine feelings.

She closes her eyes, her grip tightening on the fork she's using as a prop. _Keep calm, _she thinks. _Keep calm. Focus. Get a grip, a good grip. You're not the reason. _

"_**LAURA?" **_

Her head snaps up in alarm at having her cover blown so easily. A tray is clattering to the floor of the cafeteria, and a blob of metal is snaking toward her—and turning into _Cessily. _

"_**OH MY GOD—IT **_**IS **_**YOU!" **_the redheaded girl shrieks, her limbs solidifying in time to clamp around Laura (who has risen to her feet) in a bone crunching hug.

"Oh my god! Where the hell _were_ you?" Cessily demands, pulling away from her again. "You look so different! I can't believe you're here!"

"Neither can I," Laura replies, feeling humiliated. No way she can just eavesdrop _now. _

"Where've you been?"

"Elsewhere." She pauses. "I had something to take care of."

Cessily's eyes widen. "The Facility kind of something?"

Laura hesitates. "Not exactly. I really don't want to talk about it here."

"Okay." The other girl pauses. "Are you going to teach at the school now? Oh my god, Laura, that'd be so _cool! _I bet you'll be handling self-defense. The teacher we have just sucks _balls, _and I'm not afraid to say it. Did you know _I'm _a teacher now?"

"Er, no, I didn't." Laura pauses. "Do you want to go out for coffee later?"

"Hell _**YES!" **_Cessily looks excited. "Oh man, I just have so much to tell you. _So _much has happened, I—"

"Aren't you mad at me for going?" Laura asks.

Cessily shakes her head. "You had your reasons. I _know _you. I'm just so happy you're back—it's such a nice change to be able to greet old friends again, rather than having to say goodbye."

Laura smiles, her first _true _smile here at this new school. "I did miss you. And you're right, we have a lot to talk about."

The redheaded girl pauses. "Are you—you know about Julian, right?"

"That he's with someone else? Everyone seems to consider that the most important bit of news for me." Laura grins.

"And you?" Cessily freezes. "Oh my god—I recognize that glow."

For one wild moment, Laura thinks she's caught on, and almost reaches to silence her.

"You're _totally_ in love with someone, too!" her friend exclaims. "Oh _wow! _Details, Laura. I _demand _details. Tell me everything."

"When we go out for coffee, okay?"

"Let's go now!" Cessily gets up, then frowns. "Oh, wait. I have a class to teach in fifteen minutes. Goddamn kids! Okay, look, let's trade cell numbers—I've had like three new ones since the last time we were texting—and we can go tomorrow? Cool?"

"Sure," Laura says, pulling out her iPhone. "Here, type it in for me." She passes the other girl the phone.

"Can't…the screen won't recognize metal fingers." She glances down, and raises her auburn eyebrows. "You have a text from Nori."

"Ooo-ooh," Laura says, quickly taking her phone back and clearing the message away. Thankfully it hadn't been too revealing. She opens her contact list and pulls up _Cessily __**Kincaid**_, then prepares to update the number.

"Go for it," she says.

"Nine fourteen…three twenty nine…fourteen hundred." Cessily pulls out her cell phone as well, a Blackberry with a keyboard. She presses a few buttons and nods for Laura to speak.

"Four fifteen…thirteen two…fifty five seventy nine."

"That's a San Fran code," Cessily says as she thumbs in the number. "Laura…are you living out there again?"

"In a manner of speaking," Laura says.

Her friend lowers her phone. "Are you with _Cyclops?_" she asks, her voice terse.

"Hardly." Pause. "I'm not with the X-men at all anymore. I…can I tell you tomorrow?"

"Of course." Cessily warms up again. "Okay, I got to run. I'll text you tonight."

"Have fun teaching." Laura doesn't mean this in a sarcastic way, as she once might have done.

"It actually _is_ fun! You have no idea how great an experience sharing with children can be. Really makes me want some of my own." Cessily grins. "See you later!"

"Later," Laura says. She stabs a piece of lettuce viciously with her fork, then gets up to leave.

As she is heading toward the door, she hears the woman speak again, in a low voice: "Julian…is that…?"

"It was ages ago, Carm," he replies.

Pause. Laura's fingers are on the door now, about to push.

"You mean…that's her? That's Laura?"

"Let's not," he says.

Pushing. The hallway is ahead of her now.

"_Let's._"

"She doesn't _mean_ anything."

The door swings shut behind her as she moves into the corridor, but she can still hear them talking—clear as a bell.

"The hell she doesn't. You said her _name_ last—"

"It was just a slip of the tongue. Really."

Laura stops, and raises her eyebrows. _Really. _

"A pretty big slip," 'Carm' says. "Don't they call those things _Freudian _slips?"

"Look, I was just a little rattled to see her again, alright? I already told you about how much she hurt me." Pause. "You're all that matters to me now. She's history."

But now—armed with new knowledge—Laura doesn't find these words as disheartening as she might have. Instead, she realizes she is smiling, ever so slightly.

**…**

"_Is she hot, at least?" _

Laura shrugs, then realizes Nori can't see her. "She has her charms, I'm sure. I'm hotter."

"_Of course." _Nori pauses, probably grinning. "_Someone's sure been missing you a lot." _

"I bet," Laura says. "Tell him I won't be much longer. Just tying up some lose ends…probably book a ticket for this weekend."

"_Will do. Really think you can get things taken care of that quick?" _

"Don't see why not," Laura says. "Just have to decide whether or not he's really happy the way he is. If he's better off one way or the other, you know."

"_You really think he'd be okay with it?" _

Laura shrugs, and again realizes Nori can't see the reaction. "Why not?"

"_Wouldn't it be a little awkward? I mean, he's been the only man in your life for a while, and now you just start seeing other people? And how about for Keller? It's going to be—" _

"He'll get over it." She pauses. "Both of them will. They're big boys, right?"

"_Right." _Nori is probably rolling her eyes. "_You have much to learn about males and jealousy. Especially when _that _prick is involved."_

"Whatever." Laura pauses. "Is he there? Could I speak to him?"

"_Sure, just a minute." _

**…**

"Love you too," Laura says. Her breath puffs out in front of her, and she looks out across the snow-covered school grounds, then jumps slightly in surprise at the feeling of an unexpected hand touching her shoulder. She'd been so into her conversation, she hadn't heard the person approach. As she turns around, her eyes widen—it's Julian.

"Err—I've got to go, sweetheart. I'll call again tomorrow." She the phone away from her ear and presses _End Call,_ feeling guilty. She shouldn't do that to the most important person in her life.

"Didn't mean for you to end your call." He looks mildly concerned.

"Oh." She pauses, wrinkles her nose. "Well, it's late anyway. I should get going."

A pause, in which Julian is obviously struggling to word something in his mind.

"Look—I'm sorry about yesterday. I was surprised, I was mad at you…I've been stoking the fires of hatred for over two _years_ now…and I assumed you were just going to blunder in like an oblivious asshole and use me again."

Laura stares at him. "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"It's just your style," he says. "You never think about anyone else. You can be selfish, sometimes." He hesitates, and she sees his eyes—his big blue eyes, so familiar—filling with emotion. "Do you know just _how _much it hurt to wake up and realize you were gone?"

"I couldn't stay," she says. "I had other—"

"You made me feel like I wasn't good enough anymore." He glares at her. "Suddenly I wasn't a whole person, so you just discarded me like a used tissue. Like you—" his forehead wrinkles and he looks away, and Laura bites her lip hard, surprised how quickly she feels like crying. She didn't used to cry, at all. But she's seen this look—this reaction—so many times, and her automatic response is to burst into tears and give him whatever he wants.

Except she's not sure _what_ he wants.

"Well, good thing that's not an issue anymore," he says in a carefully controlled but strained voice. "I know…or I think I know now…it's not my problem. Someone else had to show me that, Laura, because you sure as hell couldn't."

"You don't understand." Laura wipes her stinging nose on her sleeve. "I never thought you stopped being—that you weren't perfect…after it happened. I just—I had to _go._ You need to trust me that I had reasons, _real, _solid reasons."

Julian gives her a look full of mistrust.

"Why are you always so fucking _vague_ with me?" he demands. "God, Laura. I loved you and shared everything I knew how to share, and yet I was always the last one to know _anything _about you. Why do you always trust me so little?"

Laura pauses. She couldn't explain it to him when they'd argued about this before, so many times before, but now she miraculously finds the right words. "You don't think with your head. You think with your heart, and act on it. And that's not a bad thing, Julian…but anyone who really loves you will be afraid to tell you anything you might act on. They couldn't—_I _couldn't—stand to see you get hurt."

"So you let me hurt in another way." He gives her an unhappy look. "That's not a healthy, balanced relationship at all."

"No." Laura feels nervous. Why does she feel like something's at stake? They both have other priorities now, and yet she feels like some tremulous future between them is being decided, right here, right now. She swallows hard.

"I'm happy now," he says, firmly. "I met someone really—really _beautiful. _She cares about the kids here, and about me, and she knows what it's like to have a rough time. She doesn't care about _these, _either." He gestures slightly with one metallic hand, and Laura's attention refocuses.

"Are you—how do you control them?" she asks.

"With my mind. How it happened is something that I can't explain to someone who wasn't there." Julian pauses. "_She _was, though. That's where I met her…and we just _clicked._"

"That's—" Laura makes herself smile. "That's great."

He hesitates. "Where did you—"

"I can't." She rubs her nose again, her forehead wrinkling. "God, I came all this way…and I can't. I never counted on you being _happy, _and having this great life built for yourself."

"You expected me to just wither and die without you?" Julian demands.

"I don't know what I expected." Laura pauses. "I never saw what you'd be doing when I came. I mean, when I pictured this in my head. I just imagined us being happy in the end, and it all working out some how." She arches her eyebrows. "This is enough to make me crave a smoke. You got any?"

"No." Julian studies her. "I quit, 'cause she didn't like it. What, did you quit too?"

She nods.

His eyes narrow. "It's _him, _isn't it?"

Laura looks at the snow. "Let's not talk about this." She hesitates, then forces it out. "I think what needs to happen is we shake hands and part friends…and don't look back. Ever."

Julian slowly nods. "Okay. Yeah, you're right."

He reaches out with one metal hand, and Laura wraps her own real fingers around it, and is surprised. The surface feels warm and alive, and she can feel a strange sort of vibration inside—the energy he's using to move it.

"I wish we could've worked out," he says softly.

"Yeah." She swallows.

He gives her a nod, then turns and heads inside the school.

Laura waits for the door to shut before letting the tears streak down her face. They fall in the snow, little steaming holes that remind her of bullet wounds.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

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><p>"Cess—I'm sorry for calling so early…but I have to head back sooner than anticipated," Laura says.<p>

She's standing in the airport, bag on her shoulder, ticket in her hand, and home firmly on the brain. She thinks of the comfort that awaits her, and leaving is a little easier.

"_What?" _her friend demands, on the other end of the line, all traces of sleepiness gone. _"You can't be serious. Why? I haven't seen you in—" _

"Over two years, I know. Believe me, I know exactly how long it's been." Laura looks out the airport window, her eyes full of distance and sadness. She's too worn out to lie to Cessily, and if the other girl discovers the truth, she'll tell Julian all about it.

"_When are you coming back?" _

"I don't know." Laura closes her eyes. "I'm sorry."

A pause. "_It's Julian, isn't it? It's _always _him—what did he do this time?" _

"Nothing." She pauses. "I have to go."

"_No no, wait! Laura, you need to talk to me about this. If you still feel something for him…don't kid yourself. He might think he has things figured out, but I know for _sure_ that he doesn't. Lemme talk to him, okay?" _

"_**NO!" **_Laura shouts. She looks at the people around her, who have all jumped, probably terrified that something is going down. She mouths a _sorry, _and grins sheepishly. "No, Cessily, don't do that. We talked…he's moved on…and I've moved on." Okay, she has it in her for one little lie. She should have realized that talking to Cessily is _talking to Cessily, _whether in person or on the phone. The topic _will_ come up whether she likes it or not.

"_I detect bull shit, and we're nowhere near farm country, Laura." _

"Maybe it's fertilizer?" she asks.

"_Ha, ha. More like you're lying to me—and possibly yourself. You might be able to smell a lie, but I just _know_ a lie when someone tries to pull it on me. And you _are_ trying to pull it on me. Just get this over with already. I want my best buddy back, Laura!" _

"Really? Your _best?_" Laura asks, surprised.

"_Of course!" _Cessily snaps. "_Dude, we have _so _much shopping to do out here. Just let me fix Julian for you, so you can get back to what's important, okay?_"

"Forget it." Laura pauses. "Okay, I really got to go. My plane is boarding. I—I love you and the rest of you guys at the school. I'll call you sometime. And for the love of fuck, do _not_ talk to Julian, okay? My life hinges on this."

"_Laura, __**NO—**_" Cessily's voice is cut off as Laura hits _End Call _and tucks her phone into her jacket pocket, marching toward the boarding station.

**…**

Laura leans back in her upholstered seat and keeps her eyes firmly shut.

She is trying to meditate, trying to leave her problems behind—a little more with each passing mile. Pictures of the faces she is travelling toward makes this easier. She begins to relax a little, and to consider ordering some food. She hasn't eaten for a few days, and her stomach is rumbling now—now that the anxiety of deciding is past. Now it is just the _doing, _the living out of what she has decided to do.

"Beverage, ma'am?" the stewardess asks her.

"Just water, please."

Laura smiles, and a moment later is holding a cup of clear icy fluid. She closes her eyes as she drinks, and realizes that she hasn't been drinking enough—alcohol or not—during her trip. She drains the cup in a few swallows and sets it down in the divot of her tray.

_Maybe I'll get a job, _she decides. Something new to distract herself might be the ticket. Maybe she could buy more gifts, then. She really _enjoys_ giving gifts now—she rarely buys anything for herself.

_Power of love, _she thinks, somewhat sadly. Sadly because it had taken her most of her life to realize just how powerful it could be.

**…**

_**KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**_

Julian jerks awake. He's fallen asleep at his desk again, and his pencil has skittered off the page and fallen to the side. He shakes his head and looks at the clock—six AM.

Carm doesn't pound in his door this early. She's fast asleep, and he knows this because they've slept together enough for him to be aware of her habits.

_**POUND!  
><strong>_

Through the wood: _"Open this door or I swear to god—" _

His forehead wrinkles. _Cessily? _But he hasn't talked to her in…months!With a hand he reaches out and twists the doorknob; the redheaded girl tumbles in, still dressed in pajamas. Righting herself, she sits down on the edge of his bed. "You and me have got to have a _serious_ talk!" she snaps.

"Wha—" Julian rubs his face and yawns. "What the hell, Cess? Why are you even up?"

The girl brandishes her Blackberry at him. "My _best friend_ is leaving—_again_—because of you, you incredible jackass!"

He stares at her, then at the phone—displaying Laura's name and number—and now feels fully awake. "You have _got_ to be kidding me," he says.

"Well, I'm not." She glares at him. "God, Julian. _Grow up. _The girl you've been pining after for more than two years returns and declares her undying love for you—and you react like _this?_"

"What the _fuck,_ Cessily." He rubs his face. "I have not been _pining_ after her! That all stopped when I met—"

"Yeah. Right." Cessily makes a scoffing noise. "_Any port in a storm_, Julian—sound familiar? That's because those are the words you used to introduce you and Carmella's relationship to me."

"What? When did I—" He stops. "And when exactly did Laura '_declare her undying love'_? She was the one that said we had to go our separate ways. I'm confused…and fuck it, why am I even telling you this much?"

"She told me she'd _die_ for you!" Cessily snaps, deciding that stretching the truth won't hurt. "She was crying all over the phone. The airport security asked if she was okay when we were talking, for chrissake! I'm surprised she could string two words together, let alone tell _you_ that you guys are definitely over. Just give me a break."

Julian's eyebrows draw together. "What, was she really crying?"

"I thought she'd drown." Cessily waves her hand in the air. She knows the important part of fabricating the truth is to not allow the person receiving the lie to actually _analyze _it. "Can you guys just fix this so she can move back and I can go shopping again?"

"Oh my _god, _Cess!" He glares at her. "I can't believe you. This is my—"

"Little personal drama that I'm sick of. Julian, just fix it. Go after her."

"You're out of your mind," he says in wonder. "Wow. No way. Besides, can't you just go with Carm? _She _likes shopping too."

"I don't have the same taste for boutiques," Cessily says. "I miss Laura. I want to go into Spencer's and laugh at all the stupid crap. Julian, if you don't get her back, I will make _you_ come with me…do you understand?"

He blinks. "You can't be serious."

Cessily's glare does not waver, and he feels himself shrink a couple of inches. "Why did I pick so many female friends?" he wonders aloud.

"Because you obviously need us to keep you in line." Cessily reaches out with one elongated metal arm and rips a piece of paper out of his notebook.

"_Hey! _That's got a part of my mock-thesis on it!" Julian snaps.

Cessily ignores him, picks up a pen, and scribbles down Laura's information, then thrusts the fragment at her friend. "If I don't see her cell number on your phone by this afternoon, I'm going to tell Logan that I caught you snogging Idie."

"What the hell?" Julian asks. "That never happened!"

"And who's he going to believe?" she asks.

He is silent for a moment. "God, fine. I can't believe you're blackmailing me. Get this straight though—I am _not_ ending it with Carm, and I am _not _going after her. This is—" he looks at the scrap of paper—"this is a San Francisco number! Is she with Cyclops?"

"She said no." Cessily narrows her eyes, then sweeps out of the room with an indignant air.

Julian rubs the back of his neck, completely overwhelmed and confused.

…

In the San Francisco International Airport, Laura turns on her phone again—to call and tell Nori that she'll be home in a couple minutes—but instead immediately begins to receive another call.

_Cessily. _

She dismisses the call without answering. Why did she ever give out this number? What a mistake—she'll have to change it. Almost as soon as she's dismissed this call, she begins to receive another one—this one, though, has a California area code, so she answers. It could be about the bill she'd run a little late on, or—

"_Laura?" _

She stops at the sound of Julian's voice, and someone collides very violently with her from behind. "Watch where you're _going!" _a man snaps, but she ignores him and shifts to the side.

"How did you get this number?" she asks, then closes her eyes, knowing the answer before he says it out loud.

_"Cessily." _He pauses. _"It was the weirdest thing. I'm almost positive she was stretching the truth…I mean, she told me you were turning into a mess over—" _

"I asked her not to." Laura hesitates. "Why did you call, then?"

Julian pauses again. _"Well, curiosity for one thing…and for another, she blackmailed me. Said she would tell Logan I was putting moves on some of the students." _He sounds amused.

"Oh, god." Laura rubs her forehead. "I'm sorry. She wasn't supposed to say anything."

Silence.

"Well, I've got to run…nice talking," she says lamely.

_"Wait. She wasn't supposed to say anything?" _

"No." Laura looks at the gift shop across the way, and sees a t-shirt that would make a _perfect _gift. She starts to mentally inventory her bank account.

"_Was there something to be said?" _

She freezes. "I've—I've got to go. Like I said, it was nice to talk to you again. Take care of yourself, okay?" Before he can protest, she hits her favorite button (_End Call), _and then quickly saves the number under _Julian __**Keller **_so she will never answer it by accident again.

Laura puts her phone in her pocket and heads toward the gift shop.

**…**

On the other end of the disconnected line, Julian gazes at his phone, at the _Call Ended _message that is flashing in red at him.

He bites his lip and sucks in air through his mouth, his forehead wrinkled. He thinks about what has happened in the past few days.

Seeing Laura again had been like a blast from the past. She used to make him feel some incredible things. _Happy_ might have been among them. Back in the day when most of his friends were dying in a war that they had no hand in, and he was becoming bitter and hollow, she had managed to make him have moments where he enjoyed his life. She was beautiful, funny, and had an acidic wit. He'd even had the glimmering start of ideas about a future with her—proposals and rings and all that crap—figuring that they were a sure thing. They had both been too young, and he'd thought he had plenty of time to make such a bid. He'd been on the brink of convincing her that she should move her stuff into his room when the biggest attack yet had happened.

Utopia. _Cyclops. _His metal hands curl automatically, at the thought of the place that ruined everything for him.

One day everything had been fine. Laid back. He and Laura had stretched out on the beach with some of the others, sun tanning, and then she had convinced him to go swimming. More like she had dumped ocean water on him and he had chased her in, taunting her for daring to start a water fight with a telekinetic. He'd chased her up the beach, and the fight had ended when the mood shifted, and they had spent a while in a secluded spot, enjoying each other's company.

The next day the world had ended. Again. Or had seemed to, for a couple of weeks. The Messiah kid was back, and the X-men were scrambling to recover her. Laura hadn't been there—she'd disappeared, and he'd learned later that she had killed someone Logan was interrogating, in front of the whole team. And she'd returned in a very somber mood, having had one of her friends killed in an attack on the aircraft she was in. People were dying left, right and center.

Julian rubs his face and remembers the one night they'd spent together in that hellish mess—it had been hard, desperate and they had both clung to each other, not sure what the morning would hold. Not that they slept, at all. And the coming day had been hell on earth.

The bubble, sealing Utopia in. Followed by wave after wave of Nimrod Sentinels. He'd never been so certain of his own mortality, but oddly enough it was Laura he was scared for. All he could see was the Nimrod they had fought once before—him, her, and the other kids—and how she'd nearly died, her healing factor overwhelmed by her injuries. When the shockwave had ripped through the air toward them, it hadn't been fear for himself that had made him move.

He'd lost his hands physically pulling Laura out of the way. There had been a strange moment, when he hadn't realized what had happened, as he had tried to grab her by the shoulders with his non-existent hands, demanding to know if she was okay.

"Julian—" she'd said, her face serious, and he'd looked down and seen the damage. And passed out. Oddly, the pain from the wounds hadn't come until later, and when it had come, he'd been knocked on his ass. They still hurt even when he was swimming in a cloud of morphine and other drugs. He'd laid in the stretcher while everyone else fought, absorbed in his own mind.

The physical pain was not the worst thing. The worst thing—the thing that had made him wish he hadn't woken up—was seeing that Laura wasn't at his bedside. At first, he'd figured she was out fighting, and he'd worried over her. Cessily had come in and told him about Hope defeating Bastion—the being behind this huge assault—and when he'd asked for Laura, she shrugged.

It had been Logan who finally told him that his adopted daughter had left the island—permanently. He remembers finding the older man on the first day Dr. Rao had let him leave the infirmary, and demanding the information from him, his tone absent of the usual fear and hesitance. Realizing she'd left without saying goodbye—without even coming to _see _him—makes his world darken quite drastically.

Things happened. All his friends began to treat him weird, in a pitying manner that made his blood boil. He put his first person in the ground. People began murmuring that he was on his way to being the next villain they'd have to fight…not that he cared. Cessily had tried to convince him to see reason, and he'd told her to go to hell. They hadn't spoken for a while after.

All this while he lapsed into daydreams about exactly what he'd say to Laura if he ever saw her again. It ranged from a simple, dignified _fuck you _to a composed description of just how much pain she'd caused him. Then the weird event happens, with Legion—the other life. The other universe. Overnight, he'd not only gained a pair of hands, but a girlfriend as well. Carmella Unuscione. They'd shared a past in that world, and when everything snapped back to normal again, she approached him about possibly continuing where they'd left off.

She was beautiful, about his age (give or take two years) and didn't bat an eyelash at his now-artificial hands. He liked her personality, and the fact that she—too—had some rough times in her past. They had somewhat similar powers. _And_ she had a hot accent, something he's kind of had a thing for since Sofia, ages ago. He accepted her proposal to carry their relationship over to this side, and by the two-month mark, he and Carm headed out to Westchester, to join Logan's new school, as students. At the five-month mark, they petitioned Logan for part-time teaching jobs in energy-based powers. The older man studied him in a brusque manner, and to his surprise offered him a position.

And now, Laura. Like a punch in his gut. The pain is rooted much more deeply than he'd first thought. He'd patted himself on the back for feeling nothing when he'd seen her in the hallway, outside his classroom. A blank absence of feeling.

The truth is, this pain is similar to the kind he had experienced when losing his hands. It had come later that night, waking him up from a sound sleep with Carm pressed against his side. He'd woken with Laura's name on his lips, like a realization. The woman next to him had looked up, and frowned, familiar with the name. He'd told her about it before.

And this pain had intensified throughout the following day, like the build-up to an illness. He had hoped Laura would leave the school soon, because he didn't like having this pain intruding on the life he's made for himself. The fact that he keeps saying the wrong name during intimate moments also doesn't help matters.

Julian looks at the phone again. The screen has returned to the _Home _setting, and he tosses it onto his bed, then holds his face in his metal hands for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Been a while since I updated this, but here you go! And thanks for the reviews :)

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><p><strong>-4-<br>**

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><p>"So…how'd he take it?" Nori asks, her hand in a box of animal crackers. Her tone is nonchalant.<p>

Laura puts down her bags. "He didn't."

"He killed himself?" her blue-haired friend asks, looking startled.

"No. I didn't tell him." She unzips her jacket and looks around her at the small, white-walled, beige-carpeted hallway, and small kitchenette visible beyond the corner. "Well, at least you guys didn't destroy the apartment. Guess _that's _a plus."

"Seriously?" Nori asks, ignoring her comment. "You spent like—what—a grand on a plane ticket, out of your limited money—and you wasted the trip?"

"In a sense." Laura takes her coat off and heads toward the kitchen counter, lays it on the back of a chair. "Where is he?"

"Watching TV." Nori shrugs. "I guess you're better off. Keller would just screw everything up, if you ask me. It's like his power or something."

"Mmm." Laura is walking down the corridor, her eyes trained straight ahead. She passes two doors, then enters an open space—the living room. She creeps up to the couch and peers over the back. "Guess who's home!" she says.

"_**MUMS!" **_the little boy shrieks in babyish delight. He struggles to stand up on the sofa, and launches himself upward.

"Careful!" Laura exclaims, but she closes her eyes and buries her face in the small shoulder as she returns the embrace.

"You shoulda heard all the crazy requests he made while you were gone," Nori says, from the entryway. She's smirking.

"Mums! _Mums!_" He pulls away, his eyes full of anxious energy. "Annie Nori sed I couldn' have scissorsan' she was mads at me but den she showed me how to fowd paper an' its called or'gammee an' she showed me how to make a _**DRAGON! **_An' den we drawed with my crayons an' I drew a _**FIRETRUCK! **_But when I was pwayin' with my weggos dey had a _**BIG FIGHTS **_an' der were _**ROBOTS!"**_

"Awesome," Laura says, kissing the top of his head. "I wish my week had been so exciting."

He looks up at her. "Where'd you go, mums?" he asks. "Annie Nori sed you were seein' Unnk Wogan an' I assed why I couldn' too an' she sed widdle boys _**EZZ'PODE **_on airpains! Mums, I wann' know, would I ezz'pode too?"

Laura looks at Nori, who shrugs.

"Just really _little_ boys, Nate," she says finally, in a very careful manner. "You're almost big enough. Almost. Give it a week or two." In case they ever have to fly anywhere, because he has _extremely _good memory. She's found that out the hard way.

"_**WEEALLY?!" **_Nate gasps. _**"CAN I?! CAN I?! CAN WE GO SEE UNNK WOGAN DEN?!" **_

"Mom's got to make a bit more money first, but someday maybe." Laura closes her eyes. She hates lying to her son, who has always been deathly curious about Logan, having heard many stories about him. He often grabs forks and runs around the apartment, pretending he's 'Wooovvereen', and he loves having Laura pop her claws—which she does very hesitantly.

It's so hard to resist the sheer baby giggle of delight that emerges the moment the sharp, deadly weapons do. She'd been astonished to think her claws could _ever_ have a purpose outside of death and torture, but apparently, they are just the shit for amusing toddlers.

She's often wondered how Nate would react to seeing his father's powers in action. The loudest thought in her head—when she had first seen Julian's metal hands—is that Nate would never, _ever_ shut up about them if he caught a glimpse. And the flying—the little boy would never sleep again, and neither would Laura. She just _knows_ he would try to imitate it, somehow.

"Thanks for watching him this long." Laura says, looking up at her friend.

Nori grins. "Don't mention it. Seriously, we had fun. He reminds me of my little brother." Her grin lessens for a moment. "I should get going. Frost paged me earlier. Something about a vampire threat or something."

"Don't go outside…got it," Laura says, in a mild tone. "God, I really should move to somewhere a little less X-central. You guys are just a freaking magnet for disaster."

"You're one to talk. Given that poor kid's heritage, I'm actually surprised he survived being born."

"Shut up."

"Seriously, though—why _don't _you move?"

Laura purses her lips. "I guess…I have a lot of memories here. My aunt and cousin…Julian…you guys…"

"Don't just live in your memories," Nori cautions. "You'll become incredibly bitter."

"I'm not." Laura looks down at Nate, who is watching the TV again. She smiles. "I'll call you tomorrow and tell you what happened. I'm kind of jet-lagged right now."

"Sure." Nori waves. "Later, Nate."

The boy doesn't respond, eyes glued to his program.

**…**

"God _damn _you, Cess!" Julian snaps at his red-headed friend as she stands by the door of her classroom—_Art 220—_in the hallway. She's clutching a pile of art history books to her chest.

Cessily blinks. "Wha—_oh my god! _You _**CALLED **_her!"

He wrinkles his nose. "Of course I did. You blackmailed me."

She grins. "Yeah, right. Since when have you let anyone threaten you, Julian?"

He thinks. "I hate you even more."

"Oh, come on." Cessily rolls her eyes. "So? When's the wedding?"

"Wha—Cess, I _told _you. It was just a phone call, because I didn't trust you. And I was right." Julian glowers at the redheaded girl. "Laura denied _everything, _and said you weren't supposed to come and do that to me."

"Of course she did!" Cessily waves her hand in the air. "Would _you_ admit it, if it was the other way around?"

Julian looks unimpressed. "I didn't cry, Cess."

"No, you nearly turned into Darth Vader. I see how that's way better."

He stares at her, wide-eyed. "I _really _hate you. And I'm still with Carm. And I _will_ be, for the foreseeable future, okay? There's nothing between Laura and me anymore."

"You're such a bad liar." Cessily argues. "You'd think after all these years that you'd realize I can recognize your lying face."

"Fuck off!" he snaps. "Just _no, _okay? I did what you said—so if you tell Logan that crap, I'll have to get even. Big time."

"Right." The redheaded girl grins again. "You stew in your own doubt for a bit. You _know_ the real score, and don't try to deny it. I'll bet you ten bucks that you're on a plane to San Fran, come Monday."

"Good." Julian glares at her. "I'll spend it on painkillers, 'cause your logic gives me a big-ass headache."

"You do that." She waves at him and enters the classroom, with a bright smile to her students.

The door snaps shut with a very final sound, and Julian rubs the back of his neck, feeling somehow that he has not won the argument…but he is unable to pinpoint the exact reason.

**…**

Laura pours two cups of milk, then replaces the carton in the fridge and turns back to the counter. Behind this sits Nate, in a high chair, his small hands curled around an oatmeal cookie, and a big smile on his face.

"Don't put the whole cookie in…just dunk it," she cautions, handing him the plastic cup.

"I won'." Nate throws his entire cookie in, then tries to grab it again. His small features screw up in an expression of outrage. _**"MUMS!"**_

"Nate, what did I just tell you? You need to listen, sweetheart." Laura takes the cup from the boy and fishes out the treat. "Look. Like _this._" She shows him how to dip the cookie into the milk, and he nods seriously.

She watches as he (much more carefully) attempts to emulate her instructions, sticking out his tongue every time he tries to dip the cookie, and thinks about how lucky she feels. Amazingly lucky, all things considered. Even the heartache she'd felt on the way here has faded, in the company of her son, watching him attempt to master what he clearly considers a serious task.

How did she get this lucky?

Laura remembers a time when this scene would have been lost on her, almost entirely. She had hated whining, screaming kids, and had little patience for the idea of ever having one. Her idea of 'good times' had been her and her friends, or better yet, her and Julian, alone. After the horrors of her past, Laura had thought the time she'd spent with him would be the happiest in her life.

She remembers a time that she had existed—and had not existed—simultaneously. Just empty, barren memories, with no opinions, no warmth, no fondness. Ten years of her life she had been a caged creature, with only one purpose: death. She hadn't known there could be anything else for her.

She didn't even have a name.

Her life had been changed the day her mother came to save her. Armed to the teeth and shouting orders to a small group of people, the woman had knelt by Laura—sitting in her cell—and she had recognized her own face.

"I am your mother. My name is Sarah." The woman had told her, in a very direct tone. "You are leaving this place. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she had replied. Even though she didn't.

"Good." Her mother had placed her hand on her shoulder. "You answer to 'Laura' now."

The girl had tilted her head. "A mission?"

"A big one." The woman's eyes had hardened. "You will _never_ respond to X-23 again, is that clear?"

Laura had hesitated, and then nodded. For the mission.

The mission hadn't ended. Her mother's team had destroyed the facility, top to bottom. And then she was taken away, to a blaringly unfamiliar suburban neighborhood. The woman had dressed her in strange clothes, and had introduced her to a girl named Megan.

"Your cousin," Sarah had explained. "Study her. _Copy _her. She will teach you how to fit in for your mission."

Laura would only find out what 'cousin' meant about a year later—and as for 'the mission', it took her much longer to realize and to understand that she had been liberated from her cage.

Reborn, in a sense. How odd to think of herself as being born at ten years old.

She had copied Megan perfectly, had adopted her mannerisms and attitude, and the two girls had grown to be close friends—after a time. Laura had attended a regular high school, and the years spent as a caged animal had slowly begun to fade, under her earnest attempts to 'fit in for the mission'.

Everything had come back though, when her facility handler had reared her head—and killed everyone and everything that she held dear. She was sixteen years old.

Laura thinks about this period as little as possible. Covered in blood from her relatives and from escaping her handler, she'd crawled up the stairs and into her mother's bedroom to hide in the closet amongst a familiar scent. She couldn't stay—she knew they would look for her there—but she needed to heal a particularly nasty wound.

That was when she'd found the letter, in her mother's safe, as she searched for the fake ID waiting for her there. Sarah had given her explicit orders and directions on what to do if the facility attempted to re-capture her.

But the contents of the letter was something Laura had never seen before. In a few minutes, she had learned why she had been made, who had made her, and from what. And exactly _why_ her mother had ordered her to head for New York if the shit hit the fan in San Fransisco.

Showing up on the school's doorstep had been awkward. Logan had been extremely suspicious of her, having no prior knowledge of her existence. The claws had convinced him, but not the others. The school's headmistress, Frost, had been utterly against the idea of such a dangerous individual joining the school. Sitting outside the closed office, sixteen year old Laura—whose biggest concern last week was planning for homecoming—had listened with closed eyes: _"The girl is practically a monster! Logan—her subconscious is filled with thirty-six different ways to kill a human without leaving a trace…not to mention fifty styles of torture and international legal codes, and how to avoid them. She's not fit for this school in _any _fashion." _

Those words are still etched in her brain. She had gazed down at her fingers. The nails were painted black but badly chipped, as it had been a week since application. Under the naturally white tips was thickly crusted blood that had stubbornly refused the thorough scrubbing she had performed before leaving her home for good. If she concentrates, she can still smell the scent of blood and bodies from the soldiers lying dead on the kitchen tiles behind her as she worked in the sink on her shaking hands, with scalding hot water and a vegetable brush.

Despite the initial misgivings, Laura had been taken in. She had been given a room with a girl she would later come to know as Nori, and a man with a red visor had handed her a list of classes she would be expected to attend. Really, she can't remember many details about this part. The whole two-week period of her introduction to Xavier's has been grayed out, dominated by the memory of trying to scrub her nails, and feeling general shock.

She can't even remember meeting Julian, not really. She assumes his introduction was lumped in with the other students, possibly in a group. Her first recollection of separately noticing him is a smile they had traded in the Danger Room, watching Santo do something stupid. She can't remember what that something was. Pretty soon after that they had begun to spend time together, Laura avoiding all questions about her past.

Life at the school was a big change for her, but she adapted quickly. Her subconscious skills showed through in practices, and the personality she'd based off Megan had gained her friendship with most of the other kids. The trouble had started a few months after her arrival. Everything became serious—her new life was in danger, too.

Cyclops had begun to give her orders, figuring out her secret: Laura cannot say no to a direct command. She had become his assassin, and had worked with a team of killers, under the watch of Logan (who severely disapproved). He knew she wasn't doing this for her friends, the excuse she'd given him. She was just doing what she was made for.

Her life became extremes—from bloodbaths all over the world, to quiet relaxation on the sandy beach of Utopia with her friends. About a day before Utopia had become a warzone is when she estimates that Nate came into being. Julian had chased her off the regular beach area and they had found a small rocky shore on the less populated side of the island. She had taken sex ed so she had assumed she knew everything about preventing unwanted kids, a topic she never really thought about since she didn't think about the future in general. Every time she'd thought of the future-or of anything that had a more serious nature-a sentence rang out in the back of her mind: _practically a monster._

At first, she had thought it was just the sheer amount of gore involved in Bastion's pursuit of Hope that was causing her to throw up every day, to become irritable and emotional about loss. The plane she and Logan had flown in with Ariel was destroyed, and the girl that she had befriended two years ago was blown to pieces. Laura had tumbled to the earth, her eyes closed as she wondered how many times she would need to wear the blood of her friends.

Laura did not then quite understand the concept of love, not when she sat on the toilet, staring at the positive test result—_Pregnant—_and wondering how it could have happened, and not even when Julian had pulled her out of the pure white light that had made part of his body evaporate. She'd watched him fall to the ground and hadn't moved to pick him up, unable to really connect with what was happening. The emotions she could access were much shallower, then.

It was only after the initial attack, standing in the sterile room and studying her unconscious partner—and his injuries—that she suddenly understood what she'd been missing for a while. The protective instincts had made it hard for her to breathe, and she had paced the room, wondering how she could escape Bastion's red sphere. Whatever was growing inside her wasn't a part of this war, and she had to give it a fighting chance.

Away from all of this. She had to _make_ it a life.

So she had. Or she'd tried to, at least. Nate seemed—and still seems—to be a healthy, well-adjusted toddler. She's spent hundreds of hours pouring over childcare books, and has asked what must be a million questions, to doctors, nurses, and the teachers of the parenting courses she'd taken at the hospital (the UCSF). All of the money she'd inherited upon her mother's death has gone into preparing for—and then raising—this child.

Nate has been more than worth it.

She reaches over and runs her fingers through the boy's hair, which is black, like that of his parents. Every three weeks she takes him to the barber's and has it cut, but it remains as unruly as ever, regardless of whether she tries to comb it or not. It also grows really fast, something that makes her wonder. Will he be a mutant? Could this fast growth be indicative of a healing factor? He's quite clever for his age, and strangers often estimate his age to be three or four years old.

She tries to imagine Nate as a teenager gaining powers, and shudders. She doesn't want him to grow up. Ever.

"More?" he asks hopefully, and she sees that the cookie is gone. Laura's eyes narrow, then she gets up and heads for the jar. Returning with another treat, she warns him: "You _will_ eat your veggies tonight, understood?"

Nate nods solemnly, his big blue eyes wide—and she knows he's lying, but he gets the cookie anyway.


End file.
